The Act of Living Requires Sacrifice

I once had to make a tough decision between my career and a job offer.

I had been searching for a job for about eight months. Then I just graduated from school and had completed my National Youth Service Corp – (NYSC).

I gave up when nothing showed up and embarked on a freelance journey. I had to start writing content for businesses and websites. I utilized LinkedIn to showcase my talent and it paid dividends in a few months.

I started making a decent amount of money for my personal and family upkeep. I could even help a few people within my vicinity.

However, I was contacted by a company who asked me to come and work for them in Lagos. They offered me 350,000 naira per month. That’s a yearly salary of 4.2 million naira.

That was really huge, but I had a problem accepting the offer. It required me to travel almost every week. But with the fragile security system in the country, I opted to turn it down.

I told people that are ahead of me, career-wise, most of them advised me to accept the offer since it comes with a very good financial package.

The only person who advised me to turn it down was – Adebayo Adegun. He said, ”Chinedu, you have a bright future ahead of you. Focus on your freelance jobs and very soon, everything good will come.”

I sat down and had a deep thought on those words, they were really words of wisdom. There’s one thing I learned from it, you must be sacrificial to live a prosperous life.

”The act of living requires sacrifice.” Chris Butler.

There is a balancing act between what we need and what we must give up. Even in economics, there is what we call the scale of preference.

You can’t have it all, therefore, you will need to give some up. It does not mean you have failed, but it simply means you are living a life that has an abundance of resources but with a limited supply and choice.

Balancing the equation is what matters most. We must sleep, but we also must wake up. We must eat, but we also must hunt or gather.

Since I have been living in two and a half decades, I have never seen anyone who has it all. Not even one. Even career-wise, there are times when you need to let go of the short term gains for the long term goals.

I remembered the story of Hammed Alabi, he told me how he turned down a job that was worth 100,000 naira per month, that’s a total sum of 1.2 million naira per annum.

I was a bit shocked and somehow, in disbelief. The circumstances in the country are enough for anyone to even pick up any kind of job. Being a fresh graduate, anyone would have called him a delusional dreamer because he turned down the job offer to follow his passion – Career Coach.

Today, Hammed can look back and be proud of his decision and the results that followed. He has been able to build his organization – Kayode Alabi Leadership and Career Initiative.

He told me in our previous discussion, ”We have engaged over 60 volunteers to reach to over 2500 children in under-served communities in Nigeria, training then on basic 21st century/life skills and leadership. Provided scholarship opportunities for 7 kids to complete primary and secondary education.

”We were also recognized  as 50 Global Goal Champions by UNFPA for increasing access to quality education in low-income communities.

”We won the prestigious Carrington Youth Fellowship Initiative and U.S Consul’s General Award, Peace First, Fellow-in-Residence for Sub-Saharan Africa, African Youth SDGs Champion (African Monitor, South Africa) and Nigerian SDGs Star.

What else can anyone wish for?

Sacrifice is essential, that’s the deal, whether risking your life hunting a Wooly Mammoth so you can eat, or dealing with a Sabre Tooth toxic boss so you can eat. – Chris Butler.

While sacrificing, you may as well plan on how your sacrifice will have ROI!!

So many “Influencers” and ”employees” espouse the entrepreneurial spirit as a way for not working hard? Seriously?

It is way harder than working for a check. Yes, it provides freedom. But the larger payback is the investment in self.

Think of it this way: Working for an hourly wage is hunting.

Entrepreneurship is farming. One feeds you today, one feeds you all winter. Not picking on having a career, I have one. Nevertheless, I treat my career like it’s farming, constant reinvestments to protect my future…

The future is here. It is now. You have to do well for yourself by investing in yourself.

The only way is to sacrifice.